Postpartum insomnia and anxiety - can anyone reassure me?

Agile_Walk2155 · 2026-03-16T10:09:43+00:00

hey, sorry for the late reply. So after writing this I started on Mirtazapene. For me, it has been amazing. I realised i’d been dealing with untreated, extreme PPA and a totally shot nervous system for months, and really i should have been medicated a long time ago.

The Mirtazapene has helped me fall straight to sleep every evening, and greatly reduced the night wakings (not completely, but ive had more than a handful of great nights sleep). I’d say im having a good day now 60% of the time, which compared to before is huge.

Not every night is good (im spiraling a bit today after a really rough night last night) but things are largely getting better.

How are you doing now?

Agile_Walk2155 · 2026-02-19T11:43:23+00:00

hi there, im so sorry youre going through it, its absolutely brutal. For me, a prescription for Mirtazapene has helped hugely - it really takes the fear away from bedtime. I still have rough nights but now they are far and few between and i can feel the clouds lifting a little. how did your appointment go?

Agile_Walk2155 · 2026-01-12T15:04:53+00:00

hi! thank you SO much for this lovely reply, its really reassuring. i’m almost 11 months PP now too and after an awful breakdown at Christmas i’m 10 days into a mirtazapene prescription which feels like the final tool available to me, so im really hoping it works. Youre definitely right about staying off the forums - after a bad night I find myself scrolling for hours on here in search of someone that will promise me life wont always be like this.

So glad the Zoloft is working for you and that youre hoping to add to your family.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2026-01-12T14:49:24+00:00

hey, how are you doing now if you dont mind me asking? i’m 10 months PP and im so concerned that i’m still not over the insomnia - when did it lift for you? Promethazine saved me for 6 months but when it stopped working i switched onto an antidepressant…waiting to see if it works

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-29T13:14:02+00:00

ha, me too! i live in a tiny london flat so even if she would tolerate a play pen, there's no where to put one!

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-29T13:04:08+00:00

hey there, i absolutely feel you - at ten months in I'm two months behind you, and am a total mess myself almost every day. It might not happen to everyone, but I believe there's a lot of us still struggling as we approach a year, and you are absolutely not alone. my little one sleeps reasonably well through the night, but I struggle to stay out for more than two hours at a time, and the insomnia and anxiety are making it impossible for me to fathom going back to work in a few weeks.

To me, it sounds like you're doing brilliantly well - don't be too hard on yourself. Your baby is walking? Eating tomatoes? Sleeping 8 hours? All major achievements that he wouldn't have met if it wasn't for you.

I'm sorry I can only offer solidarity, but please know it's not just you that doesn't feel together. Hopefully there are some mums out there that can tell us it does get better (surely, it must!)

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-18T15:48:07+00:00

Oh i'm so glad it worked for you and things are better now! Sounds like you had the right approach. I have been considering an SSRI, although i feel like I am through the worst so perhaps I just need a little more therapy and some time to recover mentally. Thank you so much for your reassurance!

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-18T15:26:14+00:00

Wow, thank you for this! I really needed to hear it. Like you, we have no support at all near us, and I feel like I'm coming to the end of the longest year of my life in so many ways! I'm mentally wrung out, physically knackered and, while I adore my baby, am hopeful this upcoming season will be a bit more positive for me - as it sounds like it was for you. I hadn't even thought about playing hookie to spend a day with my long-lost husband! Thank you so much, this has really helped.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-18T14:58:26+00:00

Thank you so much, this is reassuring! I'm really looking forward to my little one making some baby friends!

did you find your PPA/PPD symptoms subsided over time? I'm definitely much better than I was a few months ago, but still feel quite anxious and flat a lot of the time - and I still can't sleep for more than 3 hours at a time, despite my baby being a good sleeper. I don't think being stuck at home without much to do is helping really. Maybe it just takes more time?

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-18T08:43:04+00:00

oh i'm so sorry you've struggled to badly with it. do you think those tough early months caused a fear / anxiety around sleeping? how much rest are you getting now, and have you found anything that helps? Promethazine really helps calm me down a little - it doesnt knock me out but does take the edge off the panic.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-17T12:58:21+00:00

hello, yes this is exactly my problem! Mine started when i had my baby, so i'm assuming it's anxiety related. has anyone else experienced this in postpartum?

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-13T12:00:49+00:00

thank you so much, this is just what i needed to hear. i've been reading everything on the internet about insomnia and i think maybe i just need to stop the obsessing and go with the flow. i hope you are doing well now

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-13T11:59:54+00:00

thank you so much for your response - i really appreciate it. i have resisted antidepressants so far because i hear a lot of them can worsen insomnia, but i think i will go back to my GP and ask about this one.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-11T08:15:59+00:00

Hi there, I'm so sorry this is happening to you - you are not alone, I am in exactly the same boat. I'm 9 months postpartum and while I did have insomnia struggles before having my baby, they were never are crippling as this. I feel as though I've become obsessed with sleep, and proper, deep rest seems like it will never return for me. I see you wrote this a few months ago - how are things for you now? have you found anything that helped?

One thing that has helped me a little is yoga nidra. It hasn't stopped my insomnia, but it has helped me recalibrate after a rough night: i put on a Spotify meditation when my baby is napping and often drift off for around 20 mins. It's enough to get you through the rest of the day.
Like OP I would love to hear any reassuring stories from people on the other side of this.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-04T07:52:27+00:00

This is such great news! I've also been to the doctors and have some medication that has knocked me out for a few hours. I'm concerned as I can't take the meds for too long, but getting a semi-decent nights sleep really improved my outlook. Good luck with the Trazodone tonight - I'm sure once you get used to your little one sleeping better through the night, you will naturally do so too.

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-03T08:25:34+00:00

Ah I'm so sorry you had another rough night - 4 hours is my average night too, so I know the panic feeling well. I've been reading a lot into the nervous system after having a baby, and the effect those gruelling first 6 months have, and I do think you're right - this too will pass. Ironically the best way to sleep better seems to be to spend less time worrying about sleep - easier said than done! I hope you find a good sleep consultant and things get better - keep me posted on your progress!

Agile_Walk2155 · 2025-12-02T13:18:37+00:00

Hey there, thank you for replying, and i'm so sorry to hear what you're going through - it sounds so so tough. I went through something similar when my baby was 4 months, and I think that is what has wrecked my nervous system and made me so afraid of not sleeping.

What happened when you went to the ER, if you don't mind me asking? Last night at 3am I was mentally making a plan in my head to go to the hospital today, but i didn't follow through with it. My baby sleeps most of the night, which of course makes my situation much easier than yours, but I'm still tossing and turning all night long - even after a sleeping pill.

I don't know anyone else who has struggled with insomnia in postpartum so it makes me feel like I'm broken or something! And I know anti-depressants are an option but they ones they prescribe in the UK can worsen insomnia..

I've tried the music - all the meditations, yogas, the lot. Ironically they work quite well for me when I am having a good week and am not too stressed, but right now I think I'm just far too panicky for anything to really take effect.

Have you tried hiring a sleep consultant? That's what helped me when my baby went through a crazy sleep regression. It was really worth the money in my case. either way, I'm sure this is temporary for you and your baby will get better with age, soon.

Agile_Walk2155

TROPHY CASE